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Posted: 8 years ago

Baahubali's Devasena captures the true spirit of Indian women


Aise uphaaron ke liye aap jaisey log pooch hilatey hongey, merey liye yeh pair ki dhool bhi nahi - Baahubali: The Conclusion

"For gifts, people like you may wag your tails, but for me, these are nothing but the dust of my feet" - no statement can define womanhood better than this, where neither is she an object, nor does she compromise her dignity for any object.

Devasena of Baahubali is a larger-than-life character who has reincarnated womanhood with the rainbow of life, full of love, respect, duty, dignity, righteousness and courage.

In a patriarchal society where her sacrifice and love are taken for granted, where her respect and dignity are considered secondary and where her courage and righteousness do not matter, Devasena strongly presents the reel picture of real women in India.

In the world of cinema, women have largely, or it would be more apt to say, mostly, been depicted as objects who will either sacrifice everything to make others happy or will be projected as an object of lust.

In today's cinematic world of Munni badnam hui, Main tandoori murgi hun, gatka ley saiyyan alcohol sey... and what not, the recent epic film Baahubali has played a significant role in defining "womanhood" in this present world of "manhood".

Bold yet feminine, courageous and truthful, accepting a man for who he is rather what he has, a warrior than a loser, and last but not the least - a woman with nerve of steel, is what Devasena stands for. A true reflection of a woman in your neighbourhood...

Where a woman is the saviour, where she has the courage to undermine the existing myth of women being less powerful than men - the whole storyline for her character is the beautiful and strong depiction of the existence of a woman, where her beauty is not of face value but of the value system she is firmly standing for. She does not need a man to complete her status but stands with a man to be his companion.

Many have called the character of Devasena a character of reel, but deep down a woman like her exists in every household of our country, from India to Bharat, who is fighting her own battle from farm to family. The need is for every Devasena to realise it and understand that she will have to get her support from within and not outside.

Fighting for the cause of her nation, she puts her sexuality as secondary and has a mind of her own - she uses the colours of duty and her attitude and comes up with a stunning portrait of "womanhood".

I wonder whether director SS Rajamouli's effort will be recognised for what it was or will it get stuck in the debate of how the Baahubaliseries is only "reel reality"?

Masculinity is not a synonym for strength and courage; it is beautifully depicted through Devasena where, immediately after giving birth to her child, she stands for justice, looking for an answer without taking pregnancy as a weakness.

Those for whom a woman is "marriage material", docile, fragile, sweet and above all a devi of sacrifices, must decode the strong message Devasena has to give.

There is one instance where Devasena does not wait for the right time but has the courage to make the time right - despite being pregnant she boldly stands for the dignity of a fellow woman. The particular instance has a message for women - don't stand up only when you are a victim, but take steps in your area of influence when other women are at threat.

The power of courage is much more than the strength of fear. A fearless attitude towards issues and raising one's voice is the need of the hour to make the environment conducive for women to live the way they want.

The particular character also presents a different way of defining a couple - rather than just being the proud wife of Baahubali, there is the proud husband of Devasena (in one scene Baahubali is proud of what she did for saving a woman's dignity). "Aurat par haath daalne wale ki ungaliyaan nahi kaattey, kaat tey hain toh gala (those who touch women inappropriately - it is not their fingers but their throats that should be cut)," says Baahubali.

Devasena has definitely left an imprint on women in India.

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Don't know about it's imprint on women in India but I do hope it changes the way womens' characters are written in films. TV at least they show woman power even if it is in saas bahu sagas but in films characterisation of female leads is downright pathetic. I just hope this influences writers to give better characterisation to female leads.

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Posted: 8 years ago
TFS the articles Appy😛
I kind of dont agree with the article about Bhallal. Yes he was intriguing, but he wasnt exactly multilayered and no I dont think he would have been a decent king, if people had accepted him wholeheartedly either.

He cut the same people into pieces in the Part 1 war, in the bid to win the war and the crown, while Bahu saved them. He never had any sympathy or a bone of compassion in his body and to be remotely decent as a ruler, one has to have "Daya" and sense of justice. He did not have both.

What he did have in abundance was muscular strength and a great foresight as well as the ability to twist the situations in his favour.

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Bahubali. I know there is a general perception that he has a straight graph, but the way I saw it, he had a lot of swag, he wasnt even best buddies as such with Bhallal, even while growing up. I always sensed competition between the brothers, right from the time they are shown as kids. There was no unconditional love for Bhallal in Bahu's heart.

He as much wanted to be the king, he never gave it up in favour of Bhallal, just because he was elder of the two. He could not override Shivgami, and I can see why, because the world of Mahishmati is very well explained in the book, but even after becoming a Senapati he could see he had the support from people, the untitled/ unofficial king continued to be Bahubali, till he died.

Basically what I am trying to say is that Bahubali was extremely ambitious as well as good at winning everybody's heart through his mind too. There was a reason why, going against the usual stereotypes, he never tried to course correct Devsena's sharp tongue. He could have chosen to silence her down, to give her lessons on diplomacy. But he decided to support her, going against the world, not just because she was his wife, but because he knew she was also right in her stands. I dont know, but I havent seen a character who is outright white and yet unconventional and not boring, except Bahubali and Yoo Shi Jin




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Posted: 8 years ago

Originally posted by: -FreeLancer-

TFS the articles Appy😛

I kind of dont agree with the article about Bhallal. Yes he was intriguing, but he wasnt exactly multilayered and no I dont think he would have been a decent king, if people had accepted him wholeheartedly either.

He cut the same people into pieces in the Part 1 war, in the bid to win the war and the crown, while Bahu saved them. He never had any sympathy or a bone of compassion in his body and to be remotely decent as a ruler, one has to have "Daya" and sense of justice. He did not have both.

What he did have in abundance was muscular strength and a great foresight as well as the ability to twist the situations in his favour.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bahubali. I know there is a general perception that he has a straight graph, but the way I saw it, he had a lot of swag, he wasnt even best buddies as such with Bhallal, even while growing up. I always sensed competition between the brothers, right from the time they are shown as kids. There was no unconditional love for Bhallal in Bahu's heart.

He as much wanted to be the king, he never gave it up in favour of Bhallal, just because he was elder of the two. He could not override Shivgami, and I can see why, because the world of Mahishmati is very well explained in the book, but even after becoming a Senapati he could see he had the support from people, the untitled/ unofficial king continued to be Bahubali, till he died.

Basically what I am trying to say is that Bahubali was extremely ambitious as well as good at winning everybody's heart through his mind too. There was a reason why, going against the usual stereotypes, he never tried to course correct Devsena's sharp tongue. He could have chosen to silence her down, to give her lessons on diplomacy. But he decided to support her, going against the world, not just because she was his wife, but because he knew she was also right in her stands. I dont know, but I havent seen a character who is outright white and yet unconventional and not boring, except Bahubali and Yoo Shi Jin

That's a nice analysis Halwa. He is a cruel man I agree with that.
I think Bhallala Deva is actually more interesting on paper than the one we saw on the screen.I feel we did not get to see the actual process of metamorphosis into this kind of character we saw towards the end.
All we could see of him was this very intelligent and ruthless guy who was somehow obsessed with having what ever his brother had.
Why this obsession? Is it because he felt his mother gave his brother that actually belonged to him?
He was cruel towards people who couldn't hit back at him. Did it mean he suppressed his hatred and anger towards his brother and took it out on helpless people?
Why did he not openly challenge his mother and claim on the throne?Why conspire to kill his brother?
He is a cruel man who could have taken the throne by battling it out with his brother out in the open but he chose to back stab him. Why?He is quit strong but he chose to conspire instead of confront.
That I find intriguing.


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Posted: 8 years ago

Where do Baahubali women Sivagami, Devasena and Avanthika stand vis-a-vis their men?

The women of Baahubali, played by Ramya Krishnan, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah, are taking away all the praise.

Many critics have lauded the "sheroes" in SS Rajamouli's Baahubali franchise for being strong-willed women who don't need a man to defend them. The women of Baahubali - Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan), Avanthika (Tamannaah) and Devasena (Anushka Shetty) - are indeed forces to reckon with. But where do these characters stand in the films vis-a-vis the men in their lives?

AVANTHIKA

In Baahubali: The Beginning, Avanthika is a warrior in a rebel group whose sole purpose is to fight the tyrant king Bhallaladeva (Rana Daggubati) and free the shackled Devasena. She is a skilled fighter, who almost has blinkers on to keep her from being distracted from her one and only goal. But when Mahendra Baahubali (Prabhas) wins her over with a series of moves that border on molestation, she is putty in his hands.

Suddenly, the Avanthika who had seemingly spent all her life dedicated to the cause of rescuing Devasena, decides to let her ambition take a backseat and is happy being reduced to just Baahubali's love interest. Although if the idea was perhaps to show that one can embrace their femininity and still be fierce, it was lost in translation.

The metamorphosis of Avanthika was largely criticised and SS Rajamouli was not the one to repeat his mistake. In Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, Devasena is the strong-willed princess who refuses to compromise on her self-respect. She takes pride in being the best archer in the kingdom, but lets Baahubali teach her tricks of the trade she was unaware of.

DEVASENA

Devasena sees herself as equal to her husband Amarendra Baahubali (Prabhas, in a double role), and except for an odd and contradictory dialogue where she tells him that she would happily be his slave but letting go of her self-respect and going to Mahishmati in chains was out of the question, she is inspiring throughout.

Devasena refuses to bow down to whatever King Bhallaladeva ordains, but remains defiant against whatever she perceives as wrong, and minces no words. It is for this reason that Rana's character derives sadistic pleasure out of her pain, but her pride is intact. Instead of trying to escape, she chooses to put up with the suffering for 25 years, driven by the thought of seeing Bhallaladeva's downfall with her own eyes.

SIVAGAMI

Sivagami is introduced as an excellent stateswoman, one who can see through the guile of power-hungry rivals. In Baahubali: The Beginning, Sivagami has a chance to crown her own son, Bhallaladeva as king, but she chooses to take the fair path and give Baahubali and him an equal chance to rule over the kingdom of Mahishmati.

She cannot be accused of favouritism and brings up both boys as her own, letting the better contender win the throne, in spite of her husband Bijjaladeva's constant grumbling that Bhallaladeva should be favoured. However, in Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, Sivagami falls prey to "feminine" fallacies, and blinded by emotion, cannot see that she is manipulated by her son and husband. She is reminiscent of a Shakespearean tragic hero, whose flaw was hubris clouding her judgment.

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My take on the red lines

Avantika belonged to those people from Kuntala who were displaced from their home by Bhalla.Going by her age she probably grew up in that camp listening to what those people had to say about Bhallaladeva and Mahishmati and how he threw them out of their motherland and she probably has seen all her life her people putting up a fight against Bhalla.For her it is a way of life more than a mission she had decided for herself.She never saw any other world apart from what she experienced in those caves with her people.Armed fight and fight to liberate Devasena is a way to climb up the ladder of hierarchy in that community.(Like climbing up the ladder in corporate world).

They show her disliking what she saw in that reflexion in water.Don't think she ever liked that kind of life she had been born into.But the same girl loved the image of her which Shivudu showed her.She ulltimately chose the of herself which was shown by him.He in turn made her mission as his own in a show of solidarity with her and accepting all that she came with(I guess Rajamouli was in a hurry to establish the love story in order to get to the main story probably that was the reason why it didn't come out the way it should have)

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Devasena saying that she was willing to be a slave to Amarendra is way different from the way Kattappa is enslavd.Devasena is declaring that she is a slave to her own love and desires as well as slave to everything that Amarendra represented as a man and a human being. (This reminds me of so many discussions we had about being posessed and how Anandi declared that only Shiv had all the rights on her and owned her no one else including herself had no rights on her)

Sivagami I guess is no Devasena or Bahubali Sr. She loses objectivity under pressure.She paid a huge prize for it and it also had a devastating consequences in the lives of people linked to her.I think she is a classic example of great politician who lost her objectivity while trying to promote her son's political career😉

Edited by aparnauma - 8 years ago
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Posted: 8 years ago
ZKM - suddenly picked up momentum and running at jet speed😆
I think drop in TRPs taught them a lesson.😛
Don't want to say anything about the performances in the episode though.It's a very difficult scene for the pair of new comers.They did as well as they could.Hope to see them improve though.If I could put up with a pair of young and inexperienced actors playing the most established characters in the history of Indian Television I can very well put up with lead actors of ZKM😆
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Posted: 8 years ago
Hi Anjali !!! If I'm right 😊.After a long time!!!. How are things with you?
Your DP Sunlight and rainbow and the user name remind me of Anandi and Shiv
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Posted: 8 years ago
Hi all
Now I'm on the verge of losing interest in ZKM the only show I'm watching.
They could use something called subtlity in their narrative as well as in the artistes' performances.

On Sunday Rajamouli appeared in a high profile talk show in the world of Telugus.😆

In that he discussed about Bahubali.

He apparently felt that there should have been more scenes which strengthened Sivagami's belief that Bahubali has become a threat to safety and wellbeing of Mahishmati Kingdom which was the reason behind her ordering his execution. He basically wanted to convey that Sivagami put the interests of the people over her love for Bahubali. He admitted that part was rushed in the film.

He also said he wanted to add scenes between Bahu and Bhalla which demonstrated Bahu's love for his older brother and Bhalla's resentment. Apparently those scenes were written but couldn't be shot.

He said Kattapp was also made to believe that Bahu has become a threat and that's why he killed Bahubali despite loving him like his own son.

Sivagami the care taker of the throne and Kattappa the loyal servant of the throne apparently believed that they were acting in the best interests of Mahishmati by putting aside their own emotions.

Wish they spent more time on these aspects of the story .

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Posted: 8 years ago
ZKM me already lost ...anyways
web series i try search some good one will share if find one

I wana see Sachin movie or documentary lets see this week may be

btw Pre monsoon shower at my place ahaan😳...such relief from heat humidity 😃

so went long drive... since extra water has been released river Godavari flowing





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Posted: 8 years ago
Ady, the pics are gorgeous
enjoy the rains😉😉😳
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Appy - that was an amazing article. actually Bahubali had so many parallel tracks and moments, I feel they either chopped it off on editing table to fit everything in Part 2, or they couldnt shoot it, as SSR said.

Interesting that Shivgami and Katappa actually thought Bahu crossed over to the dark side😲
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Posted: 8 years ago
Lovely pictures Aditi⭐️
River Godavari looks awesome
Hopefully some of this water reaches Andhra also.
Enjoy the rains😊
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Halwa my wish list has increased.Don't think a film is possible but would like to see more of Bahu Bhalla and Devsaena equations.
I can't remember when a movie,it's story and characters had me gripped to this extent.

The way the characters are being analysed in the media speaks for the movie and it's impact.It's not just Vfx that worked with the audience.

Karan Johar has been talking about movie adaptation of Immortals of Meluha for donkey's years and there comes Rajamouli with Bahubali 1 and 2 within a span of 2 years filmed over 5 years.😆

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Lately I started comparisons between Hindi and South Indian Film industries. In South it is the directors and technicians and writers on whose name the films get sold along with the leading men.

Post Ramgopal Varma all the successful directors in Telugu are brand names by themselves and most of these directors are writers too.Same is with Tamil and Malayalam film industries too.

In Hindi all the directors and writers seem to be overshadowed by the film makers/PHs like KJo and YRF. Is it any wonder that movies like Bahubali or other big budget films which require lot of technical expertise don't get made in Hindi?


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